December 30, 2016

Okay, maybe I’ll just admit that I would like to think of myself as both those words but I’m very probably not (curse you bloody milk teas and overly tasty aglio olios!).

It doesn’t help that my metabolism has taken a very steep dive off a cliff since I turned 25 and all the unattractive traits that I am to inherit from my family has started to set in.

The funny thing is, I do think my genepool has been quite fair. I did get voluminous locks, perfect eyesight and a relatively small-sized body….. I guess the only issue is that.. The down sides I experience are quite proportionate to the up sides.

The women in my family all BALLOON after a certain age (my aunties used to have waist sizes of 19 inches!!!), we are more inclined to get glaucoma and diabetes and above all.. we are doomed to have a bulldog face eventually.

Welcome to my Bulldog Face

What is a bulldog face you ask? Well. It’s pretty straightforward. Please refer to the photo above haha.

For as long as I've known, almost every young person (myself included) in my family has enjoyed years of those much-coveted apple cheeks. We have high cheekbones, rounded full cheeks and somewhat sharp chins. However, since life is fair.. these attractive round high cheeks… sag all the way down and rest happily around our jaw area.

Hence – the bulldog face. In a more anatomical terms, we all get jowls super easily.

(PS: In fact, you can read this post on the recent Indiba programme I went through to remove my double chin! SEE. The sagging is real.)Astique Clinic to the Rescue

Astique has been taking care of me for so long! Check out this old photo.. and my fringe! lol

But I digress.
Since the jowls issue started so suddenly and unfortunately.. I decided to waste no time in letting the matter worsen.. and I booked an appointment with my Astique Clinic, who has been in charge of all my aesthetic needs the past 1.5 years (what with my monthly Dual Yellow Lasers and the occasional Botox treatment), and told them I wanted to get an Ultra V-lift done A.S.A.P.!

You're probably wondering.. what is an Ultra V-lift all about.

Here is a quick idea of what it can do and what one can typically expect.

An Ultra V-Lift is also known as a non-surgical ultra-fine threadlift that does not involve cutting or stitching, using absorbable ultra-fine threads that are inserted under the skin with no down time*.

The threads are made of Polydioxanone, an absorbable and biodegradable material used in various fields of surgery. It is now as the “Lunchtime facelift” and is suitable for those who have mild to moderate sagging of the skin, and wish to restore the youthfulness back to their skin with minimal downtime*.

Collagen and elastin skin proteins start to form and the skin is lifted and becomes tighter and more youthful, resembling a more streamlined “V”. Patients can return to work as early as the next day. The results will last for about 12-18 months and possibly longer*, if combined with a skin tightening procedure later on.

*Results vary based on the individual

How does Ultra V-Lift compare to Traditional Lifting Though?
The traditional lifting methods are more invasive and involve a longer recovery period. In contrast, the Ultra V-Lift has a short procedure time and requires no general /local anaesthesia.

And while many assume that "face lifts" are solely meant for the older population, the fact is that any patient experiencing the effects of aging is a suitable candidate. Ultra V Lift patients are often aged from 25 years old and onwards, because that is when skin tissues start to thin and collagen fibers begin breaking down.

It all seemed pretty straightforward to me, and I'm not that afraid of pain anyway so I decided to go through with it. The results seemed so miraculously that I JUST HAD TO try it out.

The Process

So here I am numbing my face out before the Ultra V-Lift. I chose to go through about 30 minutes of numbing but I've heard of patients who are deathly afraid of pain and have requested for up to an hour of numbing too.

Astique clinic is pretty versatile and very open to customer requests, so I think that's fine if an hour is what you need. However, be sure to let them know your concerns though, so they can schedule a longer appointment period for you! :)

After the numbing was done, the cream was cleansed and removed from my skin so that the doctor could begin marking out the necessary points for the thread lift.

As you can see, the marks are drawn in a white pen and they're in rows of three. These areas are swabbed with an alcohol cotton ball before any needles begin pricking through.

In case you're wondering just what do the needles do... the secret behind this procedure lies in the expert placement of ultra-thin polydioxanone (PDO) threads. When deftly inserted into the treatment areas, loose skin is tightened and skin tissues are triggered to produce new fibroblasts and collagen, leading to the creation of a more sculpted V-shaped face.

Since my area of concern was my lower face, up to 55 threads were used going around from the end of one ear to the other. That naturally included my lower chin area too.

Here I am right after it's all done! Really zero downtime (looks-wise) but I did feel pretty sore. I was told not to press onto the areas too hard, lest the threads break, and also not to do any facials till a minimum of 3 weeks after. This is mostly because facials can include massages which can also cause the threads to loosen.

I think the area that hurt the most after everything was my chin.. but when I say "hurt" I don't mean any sharp pain. It felt like... my chin had done a million sit ups LOL does that make sense? I also tried not to sleep on the side of my face for a week -- a pretty tough feat in itself but I think I did pretty well.

No one could tell I did a lift when I returned to work the next day, so don't worry about looking like a monstrosity or anything!

The Results

Here are my results after 4 weeks. I even drew out the face shape LOL in case you found it difficult to infer from the photos.

I definitely think the V-shape is a lot more apparent - hence the name of the treatment - but my cheeks still feel SLIGHTLY meaty.. I guess I can't run because I've definitely gained weight. All in all though, I am VERY pleased to have done something to prevent those jowls from getting any worse. Plus the effects will continue to work over as the collagen is stimulated so I'm excited to see what the future holds too!

I've managed to bid my bulldog face adieu for now and for that I am extremely grateful to Astique Clinic! Who says time reversal is impossible!? ;)

Here are the prices, in case you're interested in trying this out too:

December 8, 2016

Many people who know me.. constantly see me as an all-rounded petite. As in I'm not just petite height wise, but literally all over. I'm just one of those girls people feel they can pick up and fit into their pockets.

So when I say that I've got a fat/saggy/droopy face, many people tend to brush me off. My husband is one very good example who feels used to my complaints and has mastered the art of selective hearing - or should I say selective deafness? Haha

Sorry for the lousy quality of my iphone's front camera!

I digress. Recently, something I've noticed since about sometime last year... is that my double chin has started taking on a life of its own. Photo above probably speaks a thousand words already.

Some people may go, "well obviously because you're forcing it!".. But the sad truth is that it doesn't take a lot to force that huge lump of a potato out beneath my face (I can just look down at my phone for that THING to appear).

I mean, just look at Ben. That's SKIN. Just skin, lots of excess skin. I have an actual LUMP full of fats and what not below. So yeah. It's sad.

Indiba Treatment at Carragheen

As usual, though, Carragheen came to my rescue by offering an 8-session course of Indiba Face Contouring Treatments - otherwise known as a facelift without surgery! Isn't modern day technology simply fascinating!?

The Indiba Deep Beauty Machine and its Proionic technology was originally kickstarted to achieve body-coutouring results.. However, it was later discovered that the exact same process could help achieve a tighting/firming/slimming effect without the need for invasive techniques!

How it works is that it targets the fatty tissues underlying the superficial layer of skin which start to weaken and droop over time (something I personally felt was happening to me and my double chin!). It uses and is also able to generate heat internally for precise skin tightening as well as the regeneration of collagen to help improve skin elasticity and water retention issues - great for someone like me who literally EATS SALT.

The process begins with a lymphatic drainage followed by a massage of the treatment area(s) with the radiofrequency device coupled with smooth and soothing massage strokes. The heat slowly grows and can become quite hot suddenly, so I strongly suggest to tell your therapist the moment you feel that the temperature is beginning to feel a little overwhelming. However, do not feel daunted as the whole treatment is actually EXTREMELY relaxing and the heat can feel comforting even.

This heat, which is a patented radiofrequency, enters the body safely, working its magic through the deep tissues. In fact, after the treatment, the heat will continue to work around and in your body for up to 24 hours to maximize results.

This outcome of this is rejuvenated and supple skin with decreased pore size, lesser scars, and a tighter countenance. It also helps with wrinkles, eye bags and dark rings! Though you will see an immediate effect after a single treatment, it is still recommended to follow through with 6-8 sessions to have long lasting results.

That's largely because my skin is highly inelastic :( And everyone in my family is no stranger to the bulldog face as our faces begin to sag very very early on...

Which is why I must say.. that at the very end, I was SUPER impressed with the results.

I suspect that I will still need some maintenance now and then as I am nearing my 30's in just a few years time.. but I'm happy enough that I can lower my head and read books without feeling my double chin strangling me from below.

In case you're wondering if this treatment is just meant to target double chins or fatty areas... you're wrong! In general, it's a device that tackles aging from all fronts. This photo above was when I FIRST tried out the Indiba Deep Beauty Treatment at Carragheen! I was totally TOTALLY blown away. Not only is my left eyebrow higher, my LAUGH LINE TOTALLY DISAPPEARED! I was sold on the spot.

I would recommend this highly to anyone who needs a quick resort to handling troubled areas without opting for invasive treatments.

8 weeks for me meant I needed to commit a minimum of 2 months to this treatment, which I feel is what you need to consider if you'd like to sign up for this as well. I did skip a few treatments here and there due to busy dates, which I shouldn't have, and that also attributed to why my results took slightly longer to show. I feel that a great timeline to have is probably 2-4 months before a wedding or big event. JUST in case you need more sessions.

You can also read more about my first Indiba Deep Beauty Treatment here on my Dayre Post.

Good news to those who'd like to try this awesome treatment out: Carragheen is currently offering first trial sessions at a special price of $128. Treatment packages at attractive rates are also available; do call 62223376 to find out more!

July 16, 2016

I was going to write, "notice anything here?" and probably ask you, "want to zoom in on my lips to find out?"... but I realized the title already gave it all away haha!

Yes, I redid my lip embroidery - this time with Beauty Recipe - after about 2 years because I wanted more vibrantly colored lips for my ROM! (In case you're wondering how the day went, you can read this Dayre Post). I decided to try out Beauty Recipe for my lips this time because they did such a good job with my eyebrows, and I was told they had a new machine coming in for Lip Embroidery which would make the color look brighter and last much longer! Needless to say, I was sold.

I made my appointment approximately 2 weeks before my ROM and I've never looked back!

These were the state of my lips before the embroidery. In case you're going, "Huh it looks perfectly fine and pink!?"... that's because, as mentioned above, I had lip embroidery done before (Read Post Here).

I don't know.. perhaps I'm just being anal.. but notice how the middle area of my previous embroidery didn't match up with the middle line I drew? It bugged me so much! I think it might just be the designer genes in me, but everything's got to be JUST SO! And I gotta say, I'm really glad I took the plunge AGAIN!

However, before I show you more pictures of my new lips, let's get started on the process.

Eileen, the "Master" will start by drawing your desired lip shape out. She's very thorough with this, much like when she does your eyebrows, so you know you're in good hands. HOWEVER, they are your lips and if you don't like what you see, simply tell her!

Many times, I read reviews online where they blame and shame the person who does the embroidery, saying that the shape wasn't what they desired or wanted. And I understand sometimes, some of us might feel shy to voice out, or feel bad to say, "hey, this looks nothing like what I thought it would look like!" But I really insist for you to be honest, because these are YOUR lips after all. And Eileen is very open to changing the design till you're satisfied as well.

Once that's all done, Eileen puts on numbing cream.. in the form of a lip mask (pretty cool!) and adds saran wrap to keep it in place. Don't worry about swallowing any liquid from the mask because she places cotton pads inside your mouth to prevent this.

After about 30 - 45 minutes, she'll be ready to start. You can ask for an hour or more if you're extremely scared of pain, but the mask is super effective so I would say you have nothing to be scared of. My lips were REALLY numb! *Thumbs up*

I didn't manage to get pictures of the actual process, but they're pretty similar to my previous post's steps. First, an outline is tattooed onto your lips and the color is filled in after. What's great about their new machine is that.. instead of 1 needle, there's 3 at a go, and that means the color is filled in MUCH quicker and it absorbs better too!

The only bad thing I can say about this process is pretty much well known to everyone. Your lips will be swollen and I guess it's best you request for a face mask to cover your mouth when you head home. You can request this from Beauty Recipe and Eileen will pass it to you for free. No worries! Also, if there's one thing I strongly urge you to do, that would be to purchase the lip moisturizing ointment at $28 as it helped me a great deal with my lips!

Now, without further ado, heres what my lips looked like right after.

A little blurry sorry!

Day 1:

Lips were very much numb and swollen, but no pain

Assuming that lips were 100% swollen when I left the store at 3pm,my lips were at a 60-70% swollen by night time

Color is extremely strong and vibrant

Lips feel slightly dry but kept moisturized with the ointment

Gargled with salt water after dinner then reapplied ointment

Brushed teeth as per normal

Put an ice pack on for about 10-15 minutes before heading to sleep

Day 2:

Woke up with red marks on my face - realized that the ink fromthe embroidery mixed with my saliva and drooled down my faceduring the night - haha! Nothing big, was easily wiped off

Though note to all is to probably sleep with a towel over their pillowsfor at least the first 2 nights

Lips were still very swollen the next morning

Lips felt sore and numb all at the same time, but no pain

The inner parts of the lips, as expected, had already started peeling

Swelling of the lips was lowered considerably, lips almost normalsized by evening/night

Bits and pieces of lip skin started peeling off and fell off when Igargled my mouth

Lips felt very very dry so constant application of ointment was done

A lot of dead skin - hence lips felt very flaky before sleep

Days 3 - 4:

Day 3 onwards, lips were no longer swollen but they feltextremely extremely dry

Woke up with about 90% of my dead lip skin left on my lips

10% peeled off from the day before and perhaps from me licking mylips as I slept

Lips felt very dry, much drier than the first 2 days

I had to apply the ointment many times over the day to ensure thatmy lips or dead skin do not crack

A lot more dead skin fell off whenever I gargled and brushed my teeth

By evening on Day 4, only 20% of dead skin was left, which was thosearound the rims of my lips

Day 5:

I think I spammed a little too much of the ointment over the first4 days so I was pretty much out of it by this point

I substituted it with some lipbalm instead

Luckily, my lips were pretty much done peeling and the colorlooked good so I survived without the ointment just fine

Lips were still very dry, but not as dry as Day 4 when it was peeling

I was a little anxious about the rims left around my lips but I had noreal need to worry because they went off pretty well after!

Day 6:

I didn't get a close up picture, sorry, but I was well enough to head out.

P/S: I went out to get my ROM documents settled on this day hehe!

My lips felt perfectly fine, looked really good, and they were extremely vibrant! Look at this gorgeous red lip here! My husband (at that time, fiance) thought I was actually wearing lipstick. I was so happy!

But just so you know, the color will continue to fade over the next 3 months till it settles on something more natural. After all, our lips aren't meant to be this red. Mine was actually supposed to be more pink. I was a little bummed it wouldn't stay this red actually haha but I guess in the long run, it's still better to have a more realistic lip color. If you do want it REALLY red even after fading though, you can always request it from Eileen. :)

Below are some pictures you can refer to as well! These are about 2 weeks - 1 month after my lip embroidery session.

Here's my husband and I on our ROM day! Not having to wear lipstick was the best because it meant I could actually kiss him! Haha! I'm actually a little jealous that his lips are as red as mine without him doing anything... hmmm.

Here's some pictures of me during our mini-moon to Melbourne. I don't know if you can tell but my lips aren't so red anymore. They became closer to a pinkish hue instead.

I apologize for the weird angle, this was taken at a facial!

This picture was shot very recently, so you can gauge it at about 3 months after my lip embroidery was done! My facial sponsor even came in and praised my lip color for being vibrant yet natural enough! Haha! I must say that my favorite thing about getting my lips done is really not needing much to head out looking made up. I think not many people give as much credit to lips as they're due, but I think a vibrant lip is really what helps one cross the line from looking simply awake to looking naturally good!

Plus the hype now is all about that minimalistic make up look - which we all know can actually take a REALLY good and hard to find lip product to achieve sometimes - so I rather opt for this. Forget feathering after eating or touching up when I'm out. I know my lips are settled wherever I go!

April 22, 2016

Quite a lot of people knew I was getting married soon, especially with my Engagement Story out on Dayre.. but nobody knew just HOW soon was soon. Well, the answer is, SUPER soon.

So soon, that I'm getting married (well, okay just the ROM) 5 months after my engagement. Yes, that soon! Haha okay I'm using the word "soon" a bit too much. Anyway, with that short of a time frame, I wanted to settle a lot of things before the Medium Day. Big day is next year, so I'll just see this as a Medium Day lol.

Though I wasn't planning on doing anything big - I'm actually very against the whole huge wedding shebang style - I still wanted to ensure I look my very best that day. Because not only is the Medium Day the day I am officially and legally married, it is also my 6th anniversary with my beloved.

Thus, I must say, I am SO SO HAPPY I chose to go down to Astique Clinic and do this very special treatment called the Dual Yellow Laser.

I've had treatments done with Astique Clinic before (Botox Post Here), and I've had the honor of having Dr. Celine ensuring that I come out looking nothing but better and better each time I go. Thus, I knew that deciding to do this laser, which I've heard raves about from many place, would be the best if done at Astique Clinic. Some may argue that the treatment is all the same, but I think having a good doctor that one feels extremely comfortable with is more important.

Before I start with my review though, let me get into what Dual Yellow Laser is all about.

The laser is called Dual Yellow because it features both yellow and green light for fast, precise treatments. The laser delivers amazing outcomes such as reduced skin damage, less wrinkles, melasma treatment, acne prevention and even pore minimizing, with as little discomfort as possible. This is due to the many decades of research and development, backed by clinical trials, that has been done to ensure such quality.

Here are some photos I scoured the net for as some evidence of how amazing this laser can be.

And here are some things you can look forward to, should you opt to do a Dual Yellow Laser treatment (the effects are obvious after one treatment but I do think it is best to do at least 2 - 3 times to resolve any skin issues!).

An immediate brightening and improvement in skin tone and appearance

Good improvements in vascular lesions and thick/dark veins

Significant lessening in acne as bacteria beneath the skin is effectively destroyed

Since I had already been sold on what this laser could do, all I needed was a consultation.

I have very sensitive skin, due to a C02 laser gone bad in 2010 (I did it more times than I should've and now I live eternally with extremely sensitive skin that's prone to allergies at any given point of time urgh). So, naturally, I had to be as informed as possible about how Dual Yellow would affect me and my skin.

I was assured that Dual Yellow had no downtime, meaning that I would leave just as good as or even better than when I arrived. It was to be sooooo minimally invasive that I would have zero redness or marks and could even apply make up on before leaving.

That was extremely comforting for me as certain lasers advice staying away from makeup for skin to "heal" and when I hear that, all I hear is, "this laser is super strong and you are going to regret it."

Thankfully, this Dual Yellow Laser is NOT THAT AT ALL! (Wish I could insert a heart shape emoji here). I even did this during lunch time and headed back to work after. A colleague commented that she couldn't even tell I did a laser. Super awesome.

The next thing on the menu was a thorough cleansing to remove whatever makeup I had worn to the clinic. If you, like me, have specific areas that you feel require more cleansing, simply let them know! I wear a lot of undereye concealer - but not so much foundation/bb cream/etc - and I didn't want remnants of the concealer stuck on my face whilst doing the laser.

So don't be shy and simply request! This is for your own good after all :) Plus, everyone at Astique is super friendly and willing, so there's no need to feel intimidated either. I say this because I used to be one of those very quiet ones, but I realized there's really nothing wrong in speaking up!

Thereafter, a cooling and thick layer of gel was applied onto my face in preparation for the laser. Unlike other lasers which occasionally require numbing cream to be applied, this gel is used instead. The laser works ON TOP of the gel (something like IPL, if some of you have gone for the treatment before), and the heat from the laser is counteracted by the coolness of the gel.

In conclusion, you'll end up feeling almost nothing. I guess you might feel the laser going over your face, but pain wise rates at a ZERO. A big fat ZERO. So yeah, please don't worry! Moreover, as the doctor moves to different sections of your face, the nurse stands nearby ensuring a top of more gel over the areas that have been previously "lasered" so that a round 2 can commence without any sensation/sensitivity/pain. Awesome right!

As you can see, though, the light is pretty bright so always ensure you've got those "goggles" on. They'll be placed on for you and they feel super comfortable so don't worry. You won't feel itchy or annoyed by the goggles - especially since there's cotton pads laid underneath for hygiene's sake as well.

The whole thing was done in a few minutes, perhaps 15 - 20, and I was all ready to leave! Truth be told, I even brought some of MY OWN soothing gel/moisturizer to be applied after the whole treatment because I thought their products might not be able to soothe my crazily sensitive skin. Sometimes after treatments, it's normal for me to break out in itchy spots here and there after all. But you know what? NOTHING. NO REDNESS NO ITCHINESS. NOTHING.

I actually left the clinic as I was. No make up needed at all.

Here is what I looked like before. The photo is unedited... and also very very unflattering. But I guess it's what you need to see to understand my skin issues.

I had an uneven skin tone (forehead darker than rest of face)

I had larger pores

I had annoying pimple scars (again, note the forehead)

I had an upcoming pimple on my chin

My nose was bumpy and unflattering

Here's what I looked like 2 weeks later. THE PHOTO IS UNEDITED, besides being cropped.

The scarring on my forehead had been significantly lightened and my skin was overall more evenly toned.

However, my face still didn't look as smooth as I'd have liked it to be so I wouldn't say this was the best period. Fortunately, because the Dual Yellow Laser can actually continue to improve the skin over MORE weeks... I thought I'd give it till about another 3 - 4 weeks later to see the full effect!

And here is what I look like now. Once again the PHOTO IS UNEDITED, and might I say, is once again in a very unflattering light. Hahaha. But there's no better way to judge someone's skin than in horrid lighting, right?

A bit off topic, but I hate it when I look great in a shopping mall.. but I step into their dark fancy toilets and my skin suddenly looks damn rough and gross... but yeah this is pretty much what I mean.

Goodbye gross scar on forehead!!! As you can see, it's not only lightened, I've bid adieu to that horrid thing. Just in time for my ROM. I've really actually had scars, with approximately the same kind of darkness, last for months. One irritating one even lasted A YEAR!!! But nope, goodbye scar.

My skin is wayyyyyyyyyy smoother, and I'm only in sunblock here! *Pops confetti* ALSO please direct attention to my once-horridly-bumpy-nose and notice that it's smoother than a baby's bottom here.

I do have a zit growing on my chin, but it's a new one so forgive me, it's not the laser's fault. Periods aren't the kindest times of a girl's life haha.

Another unedited photo - Sorry for the very strong RBF

There you have it. In a total of 6 weeks, the Dual Yellow Laser has given me skin which I've been wanting for awhile!!! But of course, these things take maintenance so I do suggest actually going back a few more times, as per the doctor's instructions. I highly suggest asking for Dr. Celine if you're female because she really puts your heart at ease! It's just so much easier explaining your need to be vain to a female doctor, because you know she empathizes!

Here are the prices, in case you're interested in trying this out too:

January 24, 2016

Hello all! I'm so sorry I've been absent here, but just so you know - once again - I am VERY active on Dayre, so please head there and just follow me if you'd like! I've actually written about my preparation on looking good for Chinese New Year.. so you can read the posts by clicking: HAIRDO // SKIN // IPL.

For now... let me focus on enjoying Kiehl's New Nature Powered-Masques! Because...... as almost everyone knows.. I'M ENGAGED!!! *Inserts emoji with the trumpet popper thing and lots of confetti*!!!

And though many people think it's fine to just get their skin prepped 1-3 months before the wedding (well okay maybe it is, for normal - perfect skin people urgh) .. I'm sorry to say that for sensitive troubled skin like mine.. it can actually take a long while to recalibrate with facials, lasers, skincare, etc. So I must say I am very grateful to have been sent these TWO new awesome masques- The Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque and The Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque to get myself ready! :)

The Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque

When I was first sent this masque I was like HEY Turmeric! When I had a really bad cystic pimple on my chin last year, I read so many articles about how a turmeric mask would help in fighting the angry looking pimple by reducing the color and size due to its anti-bacterial properties. Sad to say, I tried it and my face got stained yellow.. zz.. and the pimple only looked less red and swollen probably because it was yellow too. Hard to tell. So I must say I'm very glad to have turmeric in a mask that I could ACTUALLY wash off!

This Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque helps battle acne AND also increases radiance! It works as an "instant facial" that brightens and energizes the look of dull, fatigued skin to restore a healthy, rosy appearance. While turmeric lightens skin (which I guess, includes lightening scarring), the crushed cranberry seeds help to gently exfoliate for a smoother, illuminated complexion. In fact, in a consumer study, 92.3% of the people agreed that their skin felt refined IMMEDIATELY after using the product and 90.4% agreed their skin felt renewed!

The Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque

As we all know, there's tons of pollution in the atmosphere. Even though the skies are a lot less hazy now, it doesn't mean there aren't tons of microscopic floating crap in the air nonetheless. So yes, it's great to always get deep down into and restoring one's skin after a long day out with the Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque.

This mask works hard at defending and replenishing skin to reduce the visible effects of pollution and stress (both indoors, like lights and computer glare, and outdoors, like secondhand smoke and fumes) while helping to prevent impurities from sticking to our skin. The mask triples up its protective and treatment power by fighting skin damage with anti-oxidant rich Bioflavonoid - Orange Extract by strengthening skin with a skin barrier, and Cilantro Seed Soil by shielding skin against harmful aggressors in the environment.

Hate to make this sound the way it does... but a clinical test conducted in China for this product showed significant improvement in all skin attributes. So yes, I guess many now feel safer.

Here's the texture of the two products. As you can see, the The Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque (the thicker yellow product with seeds inside above) and The Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque(green color product) is of highly contrasting colors and textures. It's easy to tell which is for "energizing" and which is for "healing". Clever! Anyway..... the way to use both of them are:

Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque:
Apply generously all over face, leave on for 5-10 minutes and wash off to a natural rosy glow. Recommended for use up to 3 times a week.

I normally leave this for 5- 7 minutes depending on whether I feel my skin tingling or not.

Cilantro &Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque:
Apply a visible layer to skin, leave on for 5 minutes and tissue off. Pat in excess, leaving a thin protective layer on skin. Allow it to work overnight and follow normal skin regimen in the morning.

For this one, I deviate from the instructions a bit because there is Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) within the product that can increase skin sensitivity to the sun and can even cause Sunburn; and as we all know, my skin is insanely sensitive as it is.. so I think I've been lucky so far because I always wash it off after 5 minutes with a cotton pad and clean it off with toner as well. I don't think it would serve anyone with dry sensitive skin like mine to leave it on the whole night. To be fair, my method has worked so far the past 3 times (hope I don't end up shooting myself in the foot by saying this), and so I will continue doing it this way.

Here's how I use them both on pamper evenings.

What I do is:
1) Wash my face
2) Put on the The Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque
3) Use cotton pads and water to slowly remove the product from my skin
4) Go take a nice shower to wash it all off thoroughly (sometimes allow the steam from my shower to open my pores)
5) Come out and dry myself
6) Put on The Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque
7) Use cotton pads and water to cleanse it off
8) Follow up with toner, serum, moisturizer and my FAVORITE ALOE VERA GEL!

I prefer to stick to using The Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masqueno more than 2 times a week. If I can help it and if I think my skin looks fine during the week, then just once. I don't plan to aggravate my complexion in any way so close to Chinese New Year.

As mentioned, I find that my skin tingles slightly sometimes when I use it - though the good news is that it DOES NOT turn itchy - and when I wash it off in the sink first, my cheeks look quite pink. Like an... almost flushed pink? I should mention that I do not rub the cranberry seeds in a circular motion on my face during removal; rather I just simply wipe it off with the cotton pads. I feel this tip could help others with sensitive skin like mine. Simply applying the mask, letting it do its magic then washing it off would already be pretty awesome for our skin! :)

Anyway, when I shower and everything REALLY comes off, like I have a proper rinse of everything, my cheeks only remain slightly pink, the kind you get when you look like you've just run, but they do not feel raw/painful/itchy in any way. My face feels smooth and looks brighter as well!

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As for the The Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque, I've got to admit I DID not notice that there was AHA inside it when I first used the product... and honestly did not feel tingly or anything from it.. It was very soothing. BUT THEN at the second time, I did feel parts of my face get warmer/tingly and so I went to read the bottle and was like ohhhhh that's why. And because I used it twice in that particular week already, I'm guessing my skin reacted by becoming very very very slightly itchy in my eyebrow area for 10 minutes.. thus, for this reason I would not say this product is hydrating where I became all dewy and moist... but I DID wake up to happy skin that was neither itchy nor dry. When I woke up, my complexion looked extremely balanced with smaller pores, and was way way smooth too. I think the best effect is achieved by using them together actually.

So far, I've been told that I not only look glowing and fairer, but my boyfriend also used the term "plastic-skin" on me - an inside joke we use for people whose skin is so super smooth they look like they've got saran wrap plastic around their face. I finally earned the honor of being nicknamed "plastic-skin"!!!! So happy these 2 masks work so well with my current skincare woohoo!

For those who want to purchase these masks, they're going at SGD$49 each this coming February so you can all experience the goodness before CNY! :)

I got this awhile back and have been playing with it, because I gotta admit I'm not too great with new hairstyling tools. This one... unlike my Glampalm.. actually took awhile longer to get used to - not gonna lie. It has it's pros and cons, which I will get into later, and I will also talk about the differences between this and my Glampalm, both in usage and result.

For now, let me do a quick introduction to what this amazing Vodana Ceramic iron Brush is all about.

There are 3 rods available at Dusol Beauty for sale and they come in 17mm, 21mm and 26mm.

17mm - better for short/fine hair; is also suitable for men

21mm - better for shoulder length hair (the one that I got)

26mm - better for waist length or very thick hair

Here are some product details. As you can see, it's called an Iron Brush because it IS a brush. It's not like those typical clamps or wands you see online. That, in itself, I already find pretty fascinating.

When I first laid eyes on this, I was so greedy! I was like OH MY GOSH I MUST HAVE THIS. I MUST TRY THIS! It looked so fascinating to me and I loved how soft my hair remained after Edward used it on my hair. It was like my hair was NATURALLY curly and I just knew I had to try this for myself.

As mentioned, since this is a brush, it naturally meant that the method used with it would be very different from using a straightener which I've been used to. With a straightener, it's easy to catch on because you literally clasp your hair in the middle, drag it down, and flick it up. With a brush like this there is a bigger focus on volume and soft curls. It's more.. romantic in that sense.

However, I think the largest part that convinced me that I had to have this brush was that its "bristles", if you can call it that, acts an insulation of some sort. This means that I can actually HOLD the brush in a sense and have better control of my hair and curl.

Here are 2 videos you can watch to learn how to curl your hair with this awesome brush.

One demonstrates how you can use it on your own, and the other shows it from another perspective! I understand it's not so easy to simply see someone do it for someone else, which is why it's awesome
we get to see how Edward does it for himself! :)

Below, I'll show 2 methods that I use most often with this Ceramic Iron Brush.

The first is the Curl-In look which is a huge favorite of mine. Fast, fuss-free, and has the most "yes I did get out of bed looking this fabulous" kind of feel, haha!

FIRST LOOK

How it's done is simply by putting one's hair in the brush (which is placed horizontally, please note!) in a C-Curl Way and pull it downwards. Its important to focus on the ends because it's where you should move through the slowest so the curl gets its shape and stays.

It's good to comb through each portion of hair once first with the heat, like a quick comb through, before starting from the root to slowly finishing off at the end. With the added heat, the hair is more "well-behaved" and curls in beautifully!

What did I say? Really really natural and bouncy looking right!!?! I love this look to death. It's really my everyday look - and I'm proud to say that despite my copious and seemingly unlimited amount of hair, I actually finish this hairdo in about 10 - 15 minutes before I wash up and get ready for work.

SECOND LOOK

The next look is the Romantic Wave look which means the hair curls out to frame the face in a very very delicate way. This one is done with the brush vertical instead of horizontal like the C-Curl.

I normally put the brush parallel to my face, and in an upright fashion, then i curl my hair around the brush, and pull the brush outwards. For this, unlike the C-Curl, I keep it quite slow from start to end because the curl starts from the middle of the hair and not focused purely on the ends. It's important to keep the wand rotating slowly as you can see from the image above.. this keeps the curl "moving" so that it forms in a very natural way.

Here is one SUPER natural wave where you can see my hair "float away" (HAHA) from my face. It's not too strong and the rest of my hair is done in a C-Curl... so actually you can do this look on your long fringe to frame your face. I suggest this more with long/oval faces because the curl-in look would be much more preferable for rounder faces! :)

Here is one where the curls are MUCH more obvious, it all depends on how you use it; and YES the super curled hair is ALSO done with this iron brush! I know it's a lot curlier than my usual above but you can definitely achieve this look too!

FAQ

Here is where I'll answer some questions I'm sure you guys will have..

How does this compare with the GlamPalm?

If you guys haven't already read, I wrote about the GlamPalm before.. and how it compares is that the GlamPalm is easier to use.. definitely. It's just clipping hair between 2 surfaces and pulling. I would highly recommend it to beginners.

However, if you're quite used to curlers, wands, straighteners, this is the one level up you'd probably like to invest in. While the GlamPalm creates very structured curls which are "firmer", this one creates those loose airy curls. It's really dependent on what you're looking for. This one lends more volume too because of the curled surface, so even when you comb it through your hair, your hair still goes against a cylindrical object and becomes more curved.

What are the pros and cons?

Pros: Hair is still insanely soft despite the heat used (I use about 180 - 200), the curls stay all day and are super bouncy, relatively easy to use once mastered, really gives hair the nice airy romantic look, curls are really nice, delicate and romantic, easier to create the "permed" look

Cons: Takes awhile to learn, not that great for bed head but better for hair that's already dried nicely after washing, a bit irritating when hair gets tangled (counter this by using smaller sections)

Is it easy to use? How long will it take to get used to it?

As mentioned above, really quite tricky in the beginning. I remember feeling very frustrated haha! But after I got the hang of it, it was easy to get addicted! I think it took me 3 - 5 tries to get the hang of it. I couldn't get over the barrier of it being "hot" and didn't dare to touch the brush, but in reality it's just "hot" but not "burning".. When I got used to it, things were really much easier.

What's the trickiest part about using this curler?

For me it was controlling speed.. I always went too fast at the ends and the curl wouldn't stay as a result. I had to really learn to manipulate how I curled my hair and how I slowly brought it through my hair. I even played around with either sticking every lock of hair entirely around the curler and pulling it down or cupping it at the ends with my hands for a better curl.

Will it damage my hair?

Nope!!! Been using it for super long and hair is still very soft and in great condition! :) If you feel insecure, you can always opt for a serum. I like using this serum below from Dusol Beauty! It really isn't greasy and hair feels so airy!!! I use the red one by the way.

AND YESSSS YOU CAN TRY IT OUT FIRST BEFORE PURCHASING! Just call Dusol Beauty, ask for Edward and make an appointment with him so he can teach you how to use the brush! In fact, I actually went back twice to learn lolol, which makes I'm that slow a learner. It's okay though because he's very patient so don't worry!

Directions to Salon

It's located on the Third Floor of Raffles City (You need to alight at City Hall MRT Station).

Hi, I'm Samantha Joy but please feel free to call me Sam! Welcome to my space where I pen down all my thoughts ranging from personal posts to beauty and lifestyle!

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